In this article the author elaborates upon possible “hybrid peace” and the EU’s new perspectives in resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine in the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy. The conflict resolution will hardly follow the classical and predetermined approach of peaceful settlement, such as the package of the Minsk Agreements I and II, for instance. Given that the “Ukraine crisis” is not a domestic Ukrainian problem alone but challenges the regional setting as well, the anticipated “hybrid peace” overshadows also wider regional politics in Europe, rather than Russian-Ukrainian bilateral relations per se. Inevitably, the involvement of external actors, such as the EU and individual states such as France and Germany specifically, is inherent to the conflict resolution in Ukraine. The author also touches upon the repercussions of the possible implementation of the so-called “Steinmeier formula” for Ukraine and European security and the role of the EU in this process.
EU PERSPECTIVES FOR MEDIATION AND PEACEKEEPING IN UKRAINE
